


Northern Downpour

by Shoobydoob



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-16 03:15:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14155446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shoobydoob/pseuds/Shoobydoob
Summary: Normal people might be put off by rain on their camping trip. But, well....Regis had never been quite "normal". The prince experiences rain for the first time after leaving the shelter of the protective dome over Insomnia.





	Northern Downpour

**Author's Note:**

> Set in an au where the war ended when Regis was younger, so he and Clarus are having trip around the country. It's what they deserve.

“Clarus?”

The shield cursed at his light sleeping tendencies, honed during training so he could jump to the prince’s rescue at a moment’s notice. His exhausted mind and body longed for deep sleep, but once again, he denied himself for his prince’s sake.

“Clarus? Hey…”

“’m up, Regis,” Clarus grumbled back. He didn’t miss the note of worry in his voice this time. “What’s up?”

“Don’t you hear that? There’s water coming into the tent…”

“Oh, _Six_!” Before Clarus’ mind could shake off the fog of sleep and comprehend fully what was happening, he was on his feet frantically digging for his flashlight. “Reg, hand me that tarp.”

Regis did as he was asked and Clarus was out the door in a flash, his tools balanced haphazardly in his arms. The prince listened as he swore and cursed the Astrals for the sudden weather change and he couldn’t help but smile. Clarus could shame the Astrals to death with that mouth of his.

The water slowly ceased dripping into the tent as Clarus worked. Regis located his own flashlight and started mopping up the mess with a spare towel, carefully moving their sleeping bags to a drier spot in the large tent. Luckily, he had woken up just as the rain had started to fall, so it wasn’t terribly wet inside. When the tent was sufficiently dry, he set aside the wet towel and ventured outside. Right above him, Clarus was perched precariously in the tree that sheltered them from the worst of it, muttering to himself as he hammered the tarp to it. He didn’t notice Regis standing there, and the prince knew better than to bother him right this second.

Regis turned and wandered a little further from the shelter of the trees to where the rain fell less impeded. The water splashed cool against his skin, wetting his clothes rather quickly. The clouds smothered the moonlight, pitching the forest into almost complete darkness, so he didn’t walk very far, lest Clarus give him a stern lecture about safety…again.

Regis looked up to the barely-visible outline of the tree branches above him, made almost ethereal from the glow of the protective runes beneath his feet, and lifted his hands palm-up to feel the rain as it fell upon him. _So, this is it,_ he thought, very much in awe of this new experience. He realized to the average person he might look quite insane, standing in the woods in the middle of the night getting soaked through by rain. The thought made him laugh aloud.

“Reg?”

Clarus had evidently finished his work and came to retrieve his soaked prince. Regis turned toward him and tried not to laugh at his distinctly “half drowned cat” expression. Clarus held his shield above him to protect himself from the worst of it, stepped in close enough to cover Regis too, but Regis held up a hand to keep him at bay.

“I’ve never felt rain before,” Regis reminded his friend, a hint of sadness and wonder in his voice. “Let me enjoy it a little longer, please?”

“You know,” Clarus sighed, “Normal people would be very put off by rain on their camping trip.”

“You and I both know I’m not a “normal” person“ Regis replied lightly. “Just posing as one.”

“And doing a terrible job at it.”

The two shared a laugh and Clarus’ thunderous expression lifted to something a little lighter, softer. He shifted his shield to his other arm and planted himself firmly in place for a few minutes longer. He could never say no to Regis, no matter how ridiculous his request. He observed his old friend as he turned his face back up toward the sky and closed his eyes, immersing himself in the moment. Regis looked very peaceful, and Clarus was loath to deprive him from it, but the rain wasn’t relenting anytime soon, so he eventually put his foot down.

“Regis, you’ll catch your death if you stay out much longer,” he said, offering his arm to aid Regis on the walk back. The young prince nodded slowly and turned to duck under the shelter of the shield, clearly reluctant to leave, but understanding Clarus’ point.

“Gods, you’re freezing,” Clarus complained, suppressing a shiver as Regis pressed in close. Perhaps he shouldn’t have let him stay out so long after all. The prince laughed, apparently unaffected by the chill, and Clarus smiled despite himself. His friend’s relentless cheeriness and innocent wonder would be his undoing, Clarus knew.

“Oh…I used the towel to dry the tent with,” Regis realized as they approached the tent, hovering uncertainly by the entrance. “I think the others are in the car.”

“I have extra sleep clothes you can use,” Clarus offered, glad he had the foresight to pack a few extra necessities. It took a little awkward shuffling with Regis trying to keep the tent dry and get re-dressed outside and Clarus dealing with the soaked clothes, but eventually the two were holed up in the tent, dry enough and quickly warming back up. The two sat close together, half in their sleeping bags, but too restless to sleep right away.

“Here,” Regis said suddenly, as if a thought had struck him, “Let me just…” He trailed off, cupping his hands together and shifting until he was adjacent to Clarus. He cupped his hands and focused and in a moment, a tiny flame flickered to life, growing until a soft heat was chasing away the chill. Clarus leaned gratefully into the warmth, but couldn’t resist the urge to be cheeky.

“Don’t burn the tent down,” he teased, nudging Regis’ shoulder playfully. “Would cost a pretty gil to replace.”

“I haven’t burnt anything since that day I nearly burned your eyebrows off,” Regis sniffed, only a little offended. Clarus laughed fondly at the memory of his friend, younger than they were now, excitedly trying to show him his new skill. He remembered the bright look in Regis’ eyes as he recounted the mages in distant lands, from old folklore, that could wield magic on a magnificent scale.

Moments before it (quite literally) blew up in his face.

_Always learning about the world, but never in it,_ Clarus thought, not for the first time. His smile fell as he considered this. He stared hard into the fire between them and silence settled comfortably for a few minutes.

“Clarus?”

“Hm?”

“What’s on your mind?”

Clarus debated for only a moment whether to say or not, never able to say anything less than the truth in his heart. Still, it felt different now; the atmosphere in the tent had shifted to something inexplicable. He was suddenly very aware of Regis’ knee touching his as they sat close together; how Regis’ stormy blue eyes shone bright with wonder, and yet looked infinitely wise as they gazed at Clarus. Most of all, he was sharply aware of the airy feeling in his chest.

Clarus had to remember how to breathe.

“Just thinking back on some things,” he finally answered. “How unfair it was for you to not be out in the world all this time.”

“My father wished only to keep me safe,” Regis replied, though there was a note of sadness in his tone. “He meant well. And besides…” he trailed off, nudging his knee against his shield’s. “I’m out here now, aren’t I? Thanks to you.”

“I suppose.”

“Clarus?”

“Hm?”

“Thank you for everything.” Regis leaned over and pressed a soft kiss on Clarus’ cheek. It felt like fire on his skin, something intense but safe and comforting. He could practically feel his cheeks flare with embarrassment and shyness and hoped Regis couldn’t tell in this light. He cleared his throat as if to will away his awkwardness.

“No problem, Reggie. By the way…you need to get some meat on your bones. My shirt looks gigantic on you.” Fantastic, Clarus, way to go.

“We can’t all have the appetite of a Catoblepas, Clarus,” Regis retorted good-naturedly. The atmosphere shifted again, back to something lighthearted, and Clarus cursed himself for not being more careful. Though he had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last time, if the feeling in his chest was any indication.

“C’mon, we should get back to sleep. More to see tomorrow, before we arrive in Lestallum.” Clarus was reluctant now to sleep, but he knew he was going to need the energy to keep up with his prince. Regis nodded and yawned loudly as if on cue. He put out the fire and the two did a bit of shuffling around before they were situated comfortably again. Before long, Regis was snoring lightly, lulled to sleep by the comforting sounds of the rain. Clarus closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of his sleeping prince, falling asleep looking forward to all the adventures they would go on again tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr at shoob-a-doob or Twitter @shoobydoob!


End file.
